Facebook face EU regulators fines; why?

Facebook suffered a setback on Tuesday over how it uses the reams of information it collects about users worldwide, after two European privacy watchdogs said that the social network’s practices broke their countries’ data protection rules.

The announcement by Dutch and French authorities was part of a growing pushback across the European Union about how Facebook collects data on the bloc’s roughly 500 million residents. Some European governments, notably in Germany, are considering hefty fines against the company and other social media giants if they fail to crack down on hate speech and misinformation on their networks.

As part of their separate announcements on Tuesday, the Dutch and French officials said that Facebook had not provided people in their countries with sufficient control over how their details are used. They said that the social network had collected digital information on Facebook users as well as nonusers on third-party websites without their knowledge.

The French regulator, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, or CNIL, said that it had fined Facebook 150,000 euros, or about $164,000, for failing to meet France’s data protection rules. The CNIL chairwoman, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, also leads a Pan-European group of privacy officials. The fine represents a relatively small amount for Facebook, which generates tens of billions of dollars a year in online advertising. The Dutch authority, which could still reach a settlement with Facebook, did not impose a financial penalty.

“Facebook proceeded to a massive compilation of personal data of internet users in order to display targeted advertising,” the French watchdog said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. “It has also been noticed that Facebook collected data on browsing activity of internet users on third-party websites without their knowledge.”

Despite the financial penalty, the agency has not ordered Facebook to alter how it handles data on people in France who use the service.

Facebook said that it was complying with European data protection rules, which are among the most stringent in the world. The company added that it had simplified its online privacy tools in recent years to give people more control over how their data was used.

“Facebook has long complied with E.U. data protection law through our establishment in Ireland,” Lena Pietsch, a Facebook spokeswoman, said in a statement, referring to the company’s international headquarters in Dublin. “We remain open to continuing to discuss these issues with the CNIL.”

Facebook, which said it had not decided whether to appeal the most recent data protection rulings, has battled Europe’s privacy laws before. Last year, the company won on appeal a case, brought by the authorities in Belgium, alleging that the social network had been collecting too much data on users in the country.

Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe and receive our exclusive Newsletters and e-mail Updates.

Copyright of this web site or any part hereof belongs to GP ONESTOPBROKER, unless otherwise stated.

Permission is hereby granted for the personal, non-commercial downloading, printing, transmission and temporary storage of any materials on this web site. All other use of the materials, in whole or in part (including without limitation reproduction, permanent storage, re-distribution and incorporation into other materials or web pages) is prohibited without the prior written consent of GP ONESTOPBROKER.

Every item and in general the content of the Website may be amended, completed, deleted or updated at any time without notice at GP ONESTOPBROKER’s absolute discretion. Read More

Risk Warning: Trading financial instrument involves high risks. Before start trading you should be aware of all the risks associated and the possibility of loss of your invested capital. Information contained in this website is not necessarily real-time or accurate. Read More

Legal Disclaimer: onestopbrokers.com is operated by GP ONESTOPBROKER, a registered trade name of GP Global Ltd.

Cookies Policy: We use cookies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audience is coming from. By continuing to navigate our website without changing your cookies settings you hereby acknowledge and agree to the use of cookies. Read More

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience on our website. To find out more, please read our Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy, been updated and became effective May 24, 2018.
By continuing to navigate our website without changing your cookies settings, or by clicking 'Ok', you hereby acknowledge and agree to OneStopBrokers use of cookies.OkRead more